From 20 minutes ago:



The tree trunk above is the tree branch overhead in the following pic:


Also from this afternoon, all through the back sliding door...





There she is!!

can I bring my shotgun?  

Yes! There may be a shotgun stage.

However no one's allowed to shoot my snakes. They are just there to increase situational awareness.

My buddy Monty and I walked everything again today rearranging the range. There will be a total of 15 challenges/scenarios available. Minimum round count (2 rounds per target minimum requirement) is approximately 120 rifle rounds, 230 pistol rounds and a box of shotgun shells.

No shit we saw 2 of these in the rock pile on the range today! No worries. They're milk snakes.

Small updates:
The steel for Copperhead Road has shipped and will be here by the end of the week.
The plate rack is finished! It'll get a little paint this week and hopefully this weekend Durramax will help test it out.

This is going to be great!

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Nah, I've built this up to big. There's no way to live up to the hype. I can only guarantee 4 things. Guns, food, beer and lots and lots on snakes.

Well, I received the steel targets for Copperhead Road. I painted them today and threw together a stand for it. I need to blast the hell out of it and make sure it holds up. My prowess with a welder is legendary.

Here's a peak of what you'll be looking for in the jungle. Good luck spotting these suckers at 100 yards!

I just got an IM from Ivan. It seems like he and his 4 brothers Ivan, Ivan, Ivan and Ivan will be joining us. There could be up to 21 hostiles on your stroll through the woods. My neighborhood sucks!

Hillbilly, it was nice to finally meet you! Thanks for the valve springs. The small ones fit perfectly as I had pictured them. The proof is in the shooting however. Here's what they look like along with the plate rack that I carried out of the basement last night. The dogs thought they did something wrong I was cussing so much! The MoFo ain't light.

You know all the excitement about the up coming shoot fest got to me and on Friday the 17th I had a mild heart attack  yep I sure did... what they called mild I hate to see what major was...
I'm home..  they were able to undo the blockage and implant a stint in one of my aortic arteries.. pretty neat procedure they go thru your arm to your heart.. got to watch it on the big TV as they did it... I was fully awake...

Plan on still coming down... and BTW I had some wonderful young nurses

Damn, D.C.! I'm glad you're okay. I'll try to tone things down for you. I already called and reduced my order of 24" -30" copperheads down to 50 (still qualifies for free shipping!)


As you can see my sample (arrived yesterday) is quite visible on the forest floor. You guys should have no trouble avoiding them.

Today I made a little roller fairlead for the plate rack. Redirecting the rope upwards at about 30 degrees cut the effort in half to reset the plates.


Meanwhile David the dog looks out over the valley wondering, "Who will make the "Money Shot"? Who will feast and who will get a pepperoni Hot Pocket?"


Good night, all.

OP rewritten. IMs sent.

Looking forward to this. I'm sorry I'm gonna miss work day. That woulda been another good chance to get to know you guys.

Aside from the extra shot timer (I hope I can find mine) do you need anything else?

I'm assuming everyone will ante up for the eats. My scout master sells brown eggs. I could supply the eggs if you like.

Bring your own lunch. Dinner's on me. I'll take a dozen eggs.

I think they're beautiful.

gonna be shame marking them all up..

First you suckers gotta find them, then you gotta hit 'em!

I think they should be international orange

We'll place them on the work weekend. If they are too hard to spot they will get a splash of color.

This morning's visitor at the basement door. This was a very healthy rat snake. ~5 - 5 1/2 foot, well fed and fresh shed shiny. For scale the trim is 2 1/2 inches.

Dude what kinda zoo do you have down there.

2 minutes before I saw the snake I was getting peed on by an ungrateful box turtle I picked up off the road and turned loose in the fields. You should see what I found by the cabin.

That''s what we have guns for...

I'm totally bummed that I'm missing this one.

Man you need to get your priorities straight.. Family or a weekend of guns.. Sheesh No brainier Guns of course... For god sake man,  I had heart attack 3 weeks ago I would have had them ship my ass in the squad for this...   dead or alive  

These get togethers really are that good. However this will be family I have never met from Germany and a reunion of a bunch of family I rarely if ever see. I might even make my son wear lederhosen.

Wenn Sie ihn whare Lederhosen machen würde ich mit einem Auge in die Nacht geöffnet schlafen.

Looks like fun.

WORK DAY 5/16. Start at 9AM.

Saturday looks to be warm, 40% chance of rain (which is better than the 80% they said yesterday)

I'll need a few guys to help with the following:

1) Mowing and trimming the range. I have an old push mower, riding mower and brush trimmer we'll use. This is rough terrain that eats ~ one mower per year. If a guy or 2 brings an extra string trimmer or 2 that will help.
2) Placement of ~ 80 target stands. As I walk scenarios I need some one to adjust targets to control direction of fire and what can be seen or not seen from where.
3) General clean up of the range (very minor).
4) Road repair (very minor).
5) Copperhead Road set up. This is the one that would kill my decrepit, old ass. If each helper places a couple of targets while I direct from the trail we can spread the work load on lugging the steel up and down the hills. They're only 14 pounds each. I'm just a broken down man.
6) Target testing. Bring a pistol and some ammo. Plate rack and dueling tree still need a little breaking in.

I'll feed you lunch of some sort (refrigerator went out last night. One Jeep isn't running. Dedicated range mower gave up the ghost). Everything is fighting me getting ready for this.
Helping me set up the range shouldn't ruin your fun on the day of the shoot. There will be targets, changes and variations you won't know about until you're shooting.

Post up if you'll be helping so I can plan lunch. I better get busy. I have 4 days to get a mower running, repair my fridge and get the Jeep running. Oh yeah, 12 steel target stands to weld up and a "car" to build.

Bump for a little more help this Saturday. So far we're at 2 plus a "if I can make it."

Bump fire.

My 5320.20 just got approved so I will become there on the 30th

Yay! The government is going to allow you to cross state lines with your own personal property like a law abiding citizen of a free country!
Dumbass laws that do nothing but hassle gun owners. What was your turnaround time?

Today there was a huge turnout for the work party. 3. We got Copperhead Road in and didn't even get touch the main range. I'll have to get that taken care of in the next 2 weeks. Plenty to do but she's looking good thanks to RacyCarr, Duramax#### and APEMANWITHFERALDOG.

3 weeks for the first try which I messed up and it was disapproved. And 3 weeks again the second time. Agreed it is stupid We have to ask permission to travel with ournpersonally owned firearms.

Sorry I couldn't help with the setup, I had to work this Saturday and probably the next

What's the count for people attending on the 30th?

Listed in the Kentucky Hometown Forum OP are continually updated numbers that are best guesses. I still haven't heard from a few. ~38 so far.


ETA: I have a plan for dealing with that many. I set things up so that shooting can be done in 4 areas simultaneously.

I had the day off today. I spent the first half with housework so I could keep an eye on one of my dogs (spayed yesterday).

Then I got to work on the stages. First I walked the jungle lane several times, checking the targets and placing a few more. I saw a woodpecker, some baby chipmunks and a very rare daytime sighting of a flying squirrel. No snakes, deer, turtles, turkeys or coyotes.

Not my pic. This is only the second time I've seen one in the wild. I've yet to see one "fly". The other sighting was about 5 years ago and oddly in the same valley.

Next I went down to the range and tried to give myself a heart attack. I cut brush and Honey Locust (the Debil's Tree). Then I mowed with a 20 year old push mower through thick over the knee weeds and grass over hummocked, rutted ground. After my cardiac event I put up the mower and worked on a mechanism for the shoot. It took some adjusting but now works perfectly.

Joker, unfortunately I'm not going to be able to make it to the shoot.

I secured a sizable job today which is on top of already increasing orders. Highly unlikely I'll have a day off in the next month.

Its a good thing as things have been slow for the first part of the year. Just sucks about the timing.

Y'all have fun. Sure was looking forward to meeting everyone.

The wife (we're separated and get along much better now) visited today and helped me work on the range.

Copperhead Road is now in it's final form.  

On the lower range we picked up debris, cut grass and brush, set targets, worked out kinks on props.  

Stage 1 is complete with all steel placed and painted. All targets are placed.

Stage 3 is 90% finished. The props are stunningly realistic (not so much but they'll work ). The shoot house needs a little more furniture.

Stage 2 is roughed in BUT... the range ate another lawnmower. One of many hidden rocks not only customized my blades but also shattered the aluminum housing if on of the spindles. Fortunately one of my previously deceased mowers has the identical deck. It took some adjusting but I got it to work. With luck mowing will be done tomorrow. Then I can move on to gluing many dozen's of targets to their cardboard backers, getting my shit hole of a house cleaned up and get some food prep started.

Oddly one of the targets across the valley was knocked over. That suckers hanging from a stand and is pretty heavy. The only thing I can think of is a deer going pretty good smacked into it.

Request: Can someone bring a chainsaw? I don't have time to fool with mine. I'll drag logs up to the house but need 'em made into firewood for the after party.


Request: We are lacking any decent shade on the range. Anyone the has an Easy-UP, Pop-up, etc type shelter can you bring it? We could use several.

I spent 9 hours on the range today.

The rocks ate another mower deck.

Stage 1 is done and ready to be shot.

Stage 2 is done with the exception Of the ATM machine attack. It doesn't work the way I want.

Stage 3 is done with the exception of a desk, bed and table in the shoot house. I have to make a desk and bed and I'm using the table to glue up targets.

Tomorrow I hope to make the bed and work around the house.

The shoot house


Gas Station shoot off in the distance


Misc targets


The group at the end of the day for the long range pistol shoot


View from the firing line of the long range pistol shoot


Zoomed in to see the targets. Approx 100 yards to the targets.


I couldn't figure out how to post a video but here is a screen shot and use the link to view the video.
Not sure who was shooting but he hit the steel on the first shot.
It took me 26 shots with my Sig P938
https://flic.kr/p/tWRW9q

Thank you to Joker1 and everyone else who worked hard to put the event together. I look forward to attending in the future.

So, how'd the shoot go, guys?

I was thinkin about y'all while me and the boy were crankin handles this weekend.

Oops. Edit. Didn't see the pics above before posting. Sure wish we coulda made it. Looks like lots of fun!!

The targets across the valley, the "money shot" was a 2/3 sized torso at 107 yards and a full size torso at 123 yards. So 321 feet and 369 feet. Every single shooter rang the dinner bell so I have a freezer full of un eaten Hot Pockets.

Where to start...
I was up til 3:00 AM Sat morning prepping food.
I got up at 6:30 to shower and went to the range to staple up the last of the targets and assemble the last of the 2 props, a "bed" and dining room table. I allowed myself just enough time to bury a 9/16" staple into my thumb.
Then I ran one of the Jeeps to the gas station to fill the tank and back to the house to start the coffee and greet the shooters as they arrived.

While we waited for the people that never showed we had a discussion about warning violent felons about your intentions ala "drop the weapon". I followed this with an "action vs reaction" demonstration and killed every one that warned me before shooting me. I showed a few disarming techniques.

Then I passed out some gifts, a challenge coin that serves as a lifetime pass to shoot on my range. The guy that didn't get one IM me. I have yours.

Safety briefing and emergency injury plan review. Intros to the RSOs. Thanks Thaddeus for providing the RSOs shirts. The guys loved them.

We threw the gear in my 2 Cherokees and a few of the guys 4x4 pickups and proceeded through the fields and woods to the range. We could have taken a small country or Canada. We divided up into 4 groups, each under the supervision of 1 or more RSO. Thanks Doug for running the Copperhead Road. I received many compliments on the job he did. Creeping through the "jungle" and locating the 13 steel targets hidden at a distance and engaging the 5 Ivans at "danger close" range was a huge hit. There were 5 "snakes" along the trail as well. Did any find all 18 targets and all 5 snakes???

Thanks to Monty, Thaddeus, John and Dustin for RSOing the rest.
Stage one at the range was all steel for the pistol and cardboard for the rifle. We timed plate rack runs, dueling tree and multiple target engagements. We used that area for those that wanted a warm up or needed a little guidance from my RSOs on technique.
Stage 2 had a shotgun/multi target run, a dog attack and an ATM scenario. Screw Your Buddy was there but I'm unsure it was used much.
Stage 3 was were I was stuck the entire day. It was the "Crash" shoot house scenario (25 bad guys transitioning from pistol to carbine) with 6 rooms to clear. 7 corners to "pie". 5 or 6 hostages and innocents as well. The second scenario there was you at a gas station when a gang robs the place taking your son hostage. CCW gear. Only one of the guys assassinated their son. However many of you shoot Apu behind the counter. The gas station had 3 steel droppers, 4 baddies appear pop into the windows and a door that swung open requiring you to engage a target in the doorway before you advanced into the gas station to either rescue or kill your son.  

My patient is here. To be continued...

Done with my patient and... he's going to bring his whole family out for a shooing lesson!

Back to the shoot. I truly appreciate everyone's participation. I appreciate all having a good attitude and sharing equipment such as full auto, SBR and suppressed joy. There were NO safety issues, everyone had a good attitude and it seemed a good time as well.

There was a lot of good shooting, there were a lot of mistakes. I set up some tricky or misdirecting situations on purpose. i.e. When you see a copperhead on the trail you should have been looking at the 3-D target 10 feet off to the right. How many did that one "get"?

Kid with airsoft gun? Dead.

Woman holding man hostage? Eh, just shoot the man.

Did you come 2 far into the last room to shoot the armed man? If so your "pass throughs" hit the lady cop coming in the back door.

When the range grew silent and everyone was clustered under the EZ-up I asked feedback on the various set ups and I gave a little talk about why we do the "Money Shot", we packed up the gear and went to the house to try it.

Everyone made the Money Shot. For those that didn't notice, in spite of my severe exhaustion I hit it with my G34 on the first shoot. It took me 3 tries with the 22 but I was shooting it one handed. I pretended like I expected to but I did pee a little.

Once someone qualified for dinner they picked up their complimentary ammo can and a growler of Shiner Bock from the fresh keg.

I went straight to work fixing dinner. First out was chips and dip, salsa and 10 pounds o freshly made Buffalo Chicken Dip eaten with tortillas, Fritos or celery sticks. 10 pounds. The left overs fit in a margarine container.

While the twice baked potato casserole heated up (This contained 3#s of bacon!) I grilled a simply seasoned pork loin. We ate a whole loin along with a full gallon of cole slaw.

Mrs. Joker made 6 dozen cupcakes for dessert. Carrot cake, red velvet and lemon.

Severe damage was done to a keg of Shiner. Severe damage. Bourbon was consumed. Some shooter's started drifting home but several sat around the campfire till midnight or so before retiring to the cabin or various tents set on the prepared campsites.

Then the fuckers got me up at 7:30 so I started the coffee and served breakfast. We visited for a while and the 6 of us went down to the range and shot steel. I gave some pistol instruction to two and saw some good improvement in their hits. Then we went to Copperhead Road so I could shoot it for the first time (I used my G34) and we took PFC_Dustins daughter through it twice with a .22LR converted lightweight barreled AR. She did great and earned her Shooter's Challenge Coin.
We all ran the Road multiple times and went back up to the house about 4:00 to start working on what little leftovers there were. We killed what was left of the sides and I sliced and grilled another half pork loin which we consumed with the help of Remington the visiting dog.



People left about 7:00 PMK and I collapsed on the couch until I drug my sorry ass to bed.

For those that noticed the zombie greeting/directing you down the drive that was Aaron. Aaron, KYFortean was a previous shoot attendee and I have shoot on his farm. Aaron was a good guy. He was knowledgeable, a CCW instructor, a patriot, and a friend. He always had a story to tell, a joke to share and a friendly smile for you. Aaron passed away at the age of 32 this spring. He was missed. I think he would get a kick out of "being the zombie".

Disclaimer: I'm not associated...blah, blah, blah.

All of the steel on Copperhead Road and the wee targets on the main range were purchased from Shooter's Element in AZ. Taylor who owns the company was extremely helpful in getting me the targets I needed in time for the shoot. Great prices and customer service. Really good product as well. I used the Small Torsos in the jungle, approx. 9"x14". American made AR500 steel, cut with a high speed plasma table that retains hardness to the edge. These are currently 20% off at $39.99 each with an additional 10% off with Dustin's code. $5 flat rate shipping up to $80 purchase at which point shipping is free!

They even sent me a shooter and an RSO, Dustin.

Please accept my most sincere thanks for all your hard work.